Interrogation
"The Fox discovers who set the trap."
The Interrogation Room
Umberto's face twisted with resentment and confusion, as though utterly bewildered by Medea's presence.
A flash of amusement crossed his features—quickly suppressed.
Then, with practiced desperation, he dropped to his knees.
"Your Highness! Please—save my master!"
"The Royal Knights came without warning and seized him!"
"Your master?"
Medea tilted her head, her tone genuinely curious.
"Why 'your master'?"
"Has something happened to the Count of Kensington already?"
"..."
Umberto froze at the question delivered with such innocent concern.
"I... I don't know what you're referring to. My master is Minister Etienne. Only Minister Etienne."
As if nothing had transpired, he regained his composure with remarkable speed.
Even the telltale tremor in his eyes vanished almost instantly.
Yet the sharp intake of breath—the one he couldn't quite control—had already betrayed him.
"Don't be frightened, Umberto."
The Princess's tone remained soft, almost praising.
"You carried out your last instructions perfectly. Thanks to you, everything concluded smoothly."
"Instructions? I've never received any such thing."
At that moment, a small slip of parchment was placed before Umberto.
The familiar dimensions, color, and texture of the parchment.
The precise, methodical handwriting.
The unmistakable format.
He knew this form intimately.
"Release the Toad onto the stage."
It matched exactly the secret messages he'd been receiving all along.
"This... this can't be..."
Umberto raised his head, staring at the Princess with disbelief etched into every line of his face.
Memories cascaded through his mind:
The person who incapacitated Etienne with drugged candles.
Who orchestrated his public breakdown at the banquet.
Who engineered the rift with Duke Claudio.
The one who had orchestrated Etienne's downfall—
was the Princess herself?
But wasn't she on Regent Claudio's side?
The Minister of Palace Affairs was the Regent's right hand, wasn't he?
Confusion swirled violently through Umberto's mind.
"You, Princess... you targeted the Minister?"
"Why?"
The words escaped before he could stop them.
Cold steel kissed his throat.
"Watch your tongue!"
It was the maid who'd been observing Umberto silently from the Princess's side.
The gesture—the speed with which she'd drawn and positioned her blade—was worthy of a knight.
"Neril."
The Princess's voice was gentle.
"Umberto helped me wholeheartedly. Don't be too harsh on him."
When the Princess offered a slight nod, the maid finally withdrew her blade.
'I had no choice! You threatened the lives of our comrades!'
Umberto wanted desperately to shout this defense.
But when he caught sight of the knight standing behind the Princess, he clenched his fist and swallowed the words.
"Umberto, isn't that the wrong question to ask?"
The Princess's voice struck him like a physical blow.
"Shouldn't you be asking how I know your true identity?"
"Or to what extent I know it?"
"Or whether I have any intention of letting you live?"
Umberto flinched.
Her calm voice, now that he knew her true identity, sounded utterly merciless—even terrifying.
"Who is this Princess, truly?"
How many people has she deceived? How many masks has she worn? How long has she been playing this game?
The sudden downfall of a powerful man who had seemed untouchable—someone who could knock down flying birds with a gesture—had begun with this young Princess.
Umberto felt goosebumps rise along his arms.
Beyond the shock, cold reality greeted him with unforgiving clarity.
"I have no intention of groveling cowardly for my life."
Umberto's voice emerged with steely determination.
I am a traveler from a foreign land, gathering intelligence on Valdina.
The girl before me is Valdina's Princess.
There's no chance of leaving here alive.
Umberto bit his lip.
"I will die for my country, Princess."
"And you will kill me for yours."
"I bear no resentment for that."
He fixed Medea with wary, defiant eyes.
"But if there is one regret..."
"It is that I cannot warn my master of your true identity."
Medea's lips curved upward.
"A warning?"
Her smile carried the faintest trace of mockery.
"Umberto, if I hadn't sought you out first..."
"Would you have ever recognized me?"
"..."
Umberto's face flushed crimson, but he couldn't formulate a response.
He couldn't deny her words.
He truly had no idea who stood behind those coded messages.
He'd never even dreamed it might be the Princess.
"Then why reveal your identity to me now?"
"It is my favor to let you walk away alive."
The Princess held out a small, carefully sealed letter.
"So remember this generosity well, and convey it to your master."
A momentary gap opened in Umberto's composure.
"What if I silence you here and now?"
Umberto's eyes gleamed with dangerous possibility.
His hand curled subtly, as though clenching an invisible weapon.
If he weren't bound, he'd already have a dagger in hand.
Kensington didn't send a young operative to enemy territory without reason. His abilities as an agent were undoubtedly exceptional.
Even if escape was impossible, he could read the determination in his own heart—the willingness to die taking Medea with him.
"Confident, are you?"
"..."
"Can you truly handle the consequences?"
"Even if your master approves..."
"Can your master's master afford this?"
Her eyes pierced through him.
"What you're grasping for may not be my neck—"
"but your master's."
Umberto's face went cold, as though doused with ice water.
She already knows about the Red Fox network that spans the continent.
Just as she's been hiding her true self all this time, pretending to be a foolish Princess...
'There's no way she would have appeared before me unprepared.'
This was a trap.
The moment the Princess's neck broke, Valdina and Katzen could never return to their previous relationship.
The Empire wasn't ready for war.
Kensington wasn't ready for war.
His choice crystallized with perfect clarity.
'This girl—the Princess of Valdina—is not someone I can handle.'
She's beyond my capabilities.
I'll deliver her letter to my master.
He must decide what comes next.
Having reached his decision, Umberto slowly retreated.
"I will do as you command."
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Umberto."
The Princess smiled gently, as though she'd expected this outcome all along.
Umberto simply lowered his eyes, not daring to meet the faint smile that spread across her face in the sunlight.
The Magnificent Underground Prison
"Prime Minister, sir."
Cesare dismissed the guards and entered the damp, musty prison cell alone.
Step. Step.
The sound of his boots on moss-covered stone echoed softly through the corridor.
When he stopped, Etienne looked up.
"Cesare, you damned snake!"
Etienne's face twisted with instant fury upon seeing Cesare through the bars.
"Do you think you'll be safe even after throwing me in here?!"
Thud!
The heavy sound of his body slamming against the thick bars reverberated through the prison.
"The moment I get out of here, I'll tear you to pieces!"
"Is that so?"
Despite the threat, Cesare's expression remained serene, his voice as relaxed as though he were taking a leisurely stroll.
"I haven't accused you of any crime you didn't commit, Minister. I'm uncertain why you're so furious with me."
After confirming Etienne's face was still flushed with rage, Cesare allowed a slight smile to curve his lips.
He recalled the message he'd received from the Princess before coming here.
Initially, Cesare had worried the Princess might revert to her former role as a puppet when the Regent sought her aid.
She'd demanded thirty chests of gold from the Regent in exchange for rescuing the Minister.
Upon hearing those words, Cesare had immediately understood the strategy the Princess was deploying.
'Her Highness is buying time to isolate these two men.'
Cesare swallowed his admiration and spoke.
"This will be where you spend your final hours before the execution platform, Minister. I suggest you acclimate yourself well."
He paused deliberately.
"I'll be happy to help you adjust."
"Silence!"
Ordinarily, the Minister wouldn't fall so easily for Cesare's provocations.
But circumstances were different now that he'd been caught as a felon.
"Duke Claudio will not remain idle!"
His thick face filled with righteous anger.
"As soon as I'm released, I'll rip you apart and feed you to the dogs!"
"Indeed?"
That fury, however, was deflected by Cesare's calm rebuttal.
His laugh carried peculiar significance.
What scheme is this young bastard planning now?
Etienne glared at him with suspicion.
The Trap Springs ## The Spider's Web
A spy returns home with trembling hands. A minister sits alone in the dark. And a princess smiles, counting pieces on the board.
[ To Be Continued ]
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